Flashlight mounting bracket



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- $R Ami-Maw Get. 8, 1963 B. ROBINSON FLASHLIGHT MOUNTINQ BRAGKET FiledAug. 2 1961 INV EN TOR United States Patent 3,106,348 FLASHLIGHTMOUNTING BRACKET Brian Robinson, 35110 Harper Ave., Mount Clemens, Mich.

Filed Aug. 2, 1961, Ser. No. 128,788 2 Claims. (Cl. 240-6.41)

This invention relates to a novel bracket for detachably mounting aflashlight on a hand supported firearm and so that the flashlight issupported beneath the firearm and substantially parallel to the axis ofthe barrel thereof to illuminate an area toward which the firearm ispointed.

More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide atwopart bracket including a part secured to the firearm and a secondpart secured to the flashlight and which bracket parts may be readilyinterconnected for supporting the flashlight on the firearm anddisconnected for detaching the flashlight from the firearm.

A further object of the invention is to provide a mounting bracket whichis so constructed and so disposed relative to a hand Weapon andflashlight, when the bracket parts are connected for supporting theflashlight on the weapon, that the fingers of the hand gripping theweapon will function as an obstruction to prevent disconnection of thebracket parts.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention I will hereinafterbecome more fully apparent from the following description of thedrawing, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, andwherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view showing the assembled bracket inassociation with a hand supported firearm and flashlight;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken substantiallyalong the lines 2-2 of FIGURES 1 and 3;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken substantiallyalong a plane as indicated by the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken substantiallyalong a plane as indicated by the line 44 of FIGURE 3, and

FIGURE 5 is an elevational view of one of the bracket parts shownattached to the flashlight.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, the mounting bracket in itsentirety and comprising the invention is designated generally 7 andincludes two parts designated generally 8 and 9.

The part '8 constitutes an elongated rigid hook shaped hanger having asubstantially straight flat shank end 10 which is adapted to be disposedagainst the inner edge of the lower portion of the grip or stock 11 of ahand supported firearm, such as a revolver 12. The shank portion 10 issecured against the lower part of the inner edge 13 of the grip 11 by asingle screw fastening 14 which engages through an opening 15 in theshank portion 10. The hanger section 8 includes a lower shank portion16, forming an extension of the upper shank portion 10, and whichextends below the bottom surface 17 of the grip 11. The lower shankportion 16 supports a forwardly offset upwardly extending hook portion18 which is connected to the lower end of the lower shank portion 16 bya bend portion 19. The upwardly extending hook portion 18 issubstantially flat and is spaced forwardly from and disposedsubstantially parallel to the shank portion 16. The bracket section 8also includes a connecting portion 20 which extends between the shankportion 16 and the upper end of the hook portion 18, for reinforcing theupper end of the hook portion 18 to prevent it from being bent relativeto the shank portion 16. The shank portion 16 is thickened on its rearside, which ice faces away from the hook portion 18, to provide anupwardly facing shoulder 21 at the upper end of the shank portion 16.The shoulder 21 abuts against the bottom edge 17 to cooperate with thefastening 14 to retain the hanger bracket section 8 immovable onthe grip11.

The bracket section 9 includes an angular bar composed of legs 22 and 23which are disposed at a right angle to one another and each of which isprovided with an opening 24 to receive a screw fastening 25. The leg 22,which is longer than the leg 23, bears against and extends substantiallyacross the outer side of the rear end wall 26 of the case 27 of aconventional flashlight 28, and is secured thereto by its fastening 25threadedly engaging in said end wall 26. The shorter leg 23 bearsagainst a part of the cylindrical portion of the casing 27 and issecured thereto by its threaded fastening 25 threadedly engaging'therethrough, as seen in FIGURE 3. The leg 22 has corresponding flanges29 which extend along the side edges of the end thereof which is locatedadjacent the leg 23, and which flanges 29 are outwardly offset from theplane of the leg 22 in a direction away from the casing Wall 26. Theflanges 29 are recessed to provide corresponding grooves 30 which openlaterally toward one another and which have open inner or lower ends 31and closed outer or upper ends 32, said closed ends being locatedadjacent the leg 23 and the open ends being located remote therefrom.The flanges 29 combine to define a longitudinally slotted socket havingan open inner end located adjacent the axis of the flashlight to receivethe hook portion 18, and a closed outer end forming a stop for saidportion 18.

The spacing between the flanges 29 is less than the width of the hookportion 18 but greater than the width of the connecting portion 20; andthe width of said hook portion 18 is slightly less than the spacingbetween the bed portions of the two grooves or channels 30. Accordingly,the hook portion 18 can be inserted upwardly into the grooves orchannels 30 for connecting the two bracket sections 8 and 9 to oneanother for supporting the flashlight 28 on the Weapon 12 and with theflashlight disposed beneath said weapon and substantially parallel tothe barrel 33 thereof. The side edge portions of the upper end of thehook portion 18 abut against the closed upper ends 32 of the grooves 30to provide stops to limit the extent that the bracket section 9 can bedisplaced downwardly and engaged with the bracket section 8 and so thatthe weight of the flashlight 28 will retain the bracket 7 assembled whenthe flashlight is disposed beneath the weapon, as seen in FIGURE 1. Itwill also be noted that the portion 23 of the bracket section 9 islocated only slightly below the base 17 of the grip 11, when the bracket7 sections are assembled to mount the flashlight 28 beneath the Weapon12. Accordingly, the little finger of the hand used to grip the weapon12 can bear on said portion 23 to eflectively prevent accidentaldisengagement of the bracket sections.

The mounting bracket 7 provides a practical means for detachablymounting a flashlight on a hand supported firearm and which isespecially adapted for use by policemen and other law enforcementpersonnel, to enable such persons to hold a revolver or pistol and alighted flashlight with only one hand, leaving the other hand free tosearch a prisoner or for other purposes. It will also be readilyapparent that the flashlight may be quickly attached to or detached fromthe Weapon 12. When the flashlight and weapon are not in use, thebracket section 8, attached to the weapon 12, will not interfere withcarrying of the weapon in a holster, and the bracket section 9, securedto the flashlight 28, will not interfere with carrying the flashlight ina garment pocket or other convenient carrying means.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated 3 and may be resortedto, without departing from the function or scope of the invention ashereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In combination with a conventional hand supported firearm, such as arevolver, having a handgrip including a forward edge, and a conventionalflashlight including a case having a rear end; a bracket for detachablymounting the flashlight on the firearm comprising an elongated rigidhook member forming a first bracket section and having a shank disposedagainst and secured to said forward edge and lengthwise thereof, saidhook member having an upwardly extending hook portion forming a turnedback extension of a lower end of the shank, said hook portion beingforwardly offset from the shank and handgrip and having an upper enddisposed below said forward edge, a second bracket section secured tothe case of the flashlight and including a part disposed against theouter side of said rear end and having an outwardly offset elongatedsocket provided with an open end and a partially closed end, said hookportion engaging detachably in said socket for supporting the secondsection on the first section with said socket opening downwardly fordemountably supporting the flashlight on the firearm, beneath andlongitudinally thereof, said hook portion being so disposed relative tothe handgrip that said second bracket section can be connected to anddisconnected from the first bracket section only when the firearm is notbeing supported by a hand gripping said handgrip.

2. In a combination as defined by claim 1, said open end of the socketbeing disposed adjacent the longitudinal axis of the flashlight case andthe partially closed end of the socket being located remote from saidcase axis.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS282,846 Cole Aug. 7, 1883 2,450,584 Dodge Oct. 5, 1948 2,553,980Ostrander May 22, 1951 20 2,897,928 Selig Aug. 4, 1959

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A CONVENTIONAL HAND SUPPORTED FIREARM, SUCH AS AREVOLVER, HAVING A HANDGRIP INCLUDING A FORWARD EDGE, AND A CONVENTIONALFLASHLIGHT INCLUDING A CASE HAVING A REAR END; A BRACKET FOR DETACHABLYMOUNTING THE FLASHLIGHT ON THE FIREARM COMPRISING AN ELONGATED RIGIDHOOK MEMBER FORMING A FIRST BRACKET SECTION AND HAVING A SHANK DISPOSEDAGAINST AND SECURED TO SAID FORWARD EDGE AND LENGTHWISE THEREOF, SAIDHOOK MEMBER HAVING AN UPWARDLY EXTENDING HOOK PORTION FORMING A TURNEDBACK EXTENSION OF A LOWER END OF THE SHANK, SAID HOOK PORTION BEINGFORWARDLY OFFSET FROM THE SHANK AND HANDGRIP AND HAVING AN UPPER ENDDISPOSED BELOW SAID FORWARD EDGE, AND SECOND BRACKET SECTION SECURED TOTHE CASE OF THE FLASHLIGHT AND INCLUDING A PART DISPOSED AGAINST THEOUTER SIDE OF SAID REAR END AND HAVING AN OUTWARDLY OFFSET ELONGATEDSOCKET PROVIDED WITH AN OPEN END AND A PARTIALLY CLOSED END, SAID HOOKPORTION ENGAGING DETACH-